Charlemagne essay ideas

We can identify certain techniques that Charlemagne employed in order to carry out his will. In 802 he called a council at Aachen and dispatched his missi in order to examine the religious and moral state of affairs throughout the kingdom. Wilson described his government as a 'strong, centralised government [with] internal stability' [ 34 ] , which leads us to believe that he was powerful enough to impose any changes effectively upon his dominions. Historians have claimed in their work that there were also changes to the content and style of capitularies after 800. The most famous and extensive of capitularies were the Admonitio Generalis, 789, the Herstal of 799, and capitulary produced at Aachen in 802, dubbed as 'the Programmatic Capitulary' by Ganshof. Historian King tells us how each of these capitularies are released following much unrest in Charlemagne's kingdom, and that 'most of the rulings are concerned with canon law, monastic life and the like.' [ 35 ] It is to be noted however, that these things are indeed 'recurrent theme[s with]... the problems dealt with in 802 or 789 or 779' [ 36 ] and the ideas are simply repeated over time. Collins informs us that the Admonitio Generalis we can see Charlemagne 'explicitly claiming responsibility for the moral and spiritual welfare of his realm' [ 37 ] . The content was greatly influenced by a range of councils dating back from the fourth to sixth centuries, and therefore much of it was repetition of ideas and wishes from over the years. Although this is true, Collins admits that 'the concluding regulations...represent new injunctions' [ 38 ] and have not been taken from any earlier documents. Nevertheless no dramatic change in content can be seen. King adds that the previously sought goals in the capitularies had not been altered: 'order, justice, piety, peace, concord, each conceived in Christian terms, each expressive of God's will.' [ 39 ] Despite this, we are told that these issues were 'sought the more determinedly' [ 40 ] by Charlemagne after 800.